It's a Start
by EclecticTrekker
Summary: Don has already admitted that his best date ever was with Terry to pizza and a Laundromat. What made him ask her out in the first place?


"**It's a Start"**

**Show: **NUMB3RS

**Genre: **General/Romance

**Rated: **K

**Pairing: **Don/Terry (of course!)

**Summary: **Don has already admitted that his best date ever was with Terry to pizza and a Laundromat. What made him ask her out in the first place? One-shot, my own made-up idea, and D/T fluff (obviously).

**Disclaimer: **Yeah, I know I don't own 'em, but that doesn't mean I can't have some fun with 'em!

**Author's Note: **Wow, it's good to be back! Between vacation and college preparation stuff, I haven't had the time to do much of anything. This plot bunny has been burrowing in my brain for a while, so I decided it was time to let it go free. I took some creative licenses here (you'll know what I mean once you read it), but I know that Sabrina Lloyd got her start in community musicals, so maybe I'm not too far off! Hope you like it! And as always, reviews are treasured and adored! That's a lot of exclamation points.

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Don Eppes strode across the Quantico campus, giving a quick glance at the paper he'd just gotten back from his forensic profiling professor. The grade was good enough, and he stuffed it into the pages of his textbook. The humid May air was just starting to cool in the late afternoon hours as he made his way back to his apartment building. Several months ago he had formed a study group with some of his fellow students, and they met once a week to go over notes for all of their lessons. The group was coming to his apartment at 6:00, so he had two hours to clean up the dishes from that morning and order pizza for everyone.

"Don! Hey, wait up!" he heard from behind. He slowed down and glanced over his shoulder just as Terry Lake came running up to him. Her cheeks were slightly flushed with the effort it had taken to catch him, and she was carrying the same armload of books that he was.

"Hey, Terry." As she fell into step beside him he gave her a mischievous grin. "Let me guess – I'm so charming and ruggedly handsome that you couldn't wait until study group to spend time with me."

She rolled her eyes and gave him an innocent smile. "That's exactly it…I think I must have momentarily confused you with somebody else."

"You know that you're cute when you're mean?" He saw her cheeks flush scarlet, and he looked down with a self-satisfied smile. He noticed her paper from forensics profiling sticking out of the top of her stack of textbooks. "How'd you do on Callahan's paper?"

"Pretty well."

"Come on, I'll tell you what I got."

Fiddling self-consciously with the edge of the paper she told him, "I got a 97."

Don stopped dead in his tracks. "A 97? Callahan never gives out A's, let alone ones that are that high. That's got to be one of the best papers that he's ever received."

"Yeah, maybe. It's not really important. I learned a lot while I researched, and that's what counts. Did you do all right?" she asked.

"Well, I didn't blow away the competition like you did, but I got an 89," he replied.

"That's a really good score, Don," she said sincerely.

"I could use some more studying for the class. You could probably skip study group tonight if you've been getting grades like that," he teased.

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," she said, putting out a hand to stop him from walking.

She looked uncharacteristically nervous, and he couldn't help but notice that her eyes were flitting uncomfortably from his face to the books she was carrying. "Terry, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's just that I won't be able to make it to study group tonight."

"Why not? Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No, I just…there's somewhere I have to be tonight is all," she answered, shifting her books from under her arm to the front of her chest, gripping them tightly as though they were a shield.

"A date?" he asked with a grin.

"No!" Her eyes flashed defiantly up at him. "I've already explained that I'm not involved with anyone. It takes too much time and effort away from my studies."

"I was just curious. So where are you going?"

Terry sighed heavily as though conceding defeat to him. "I'm going down to the Barnson Playhouse tonight. You know where that is?"

Don nodded though he felt confused. "It's that amateur community theater downtown, right? Why are you going there?"

"They're doing a performance of Les Misérables for the next two weekends. It's opening night, and I have to be there," she answered.

"Can't you go to tomorrow's show?"

"I'm not going to watch, I'm…" Her shoulders slumped as though finally giving up. "I'm one of the cast members."

Don felt a disbelieving smile spread across his face. "Terry Lake, you never cease to amaze me. _You're_ performing tonight? How come you didn't tell any of us about this?"

"Rehearsals never interfered with classes or study group before. It just never came up, I guess." She started off down the street, and Don was forced into a jog to catch up with her brisk footsteps.

"So when does the show start tonight?" he asked.

She gave him a quick glance. "8:00, but we have to get there for costuming and sound checks by 5:30."

"Maybe I'll stop by tonight after study group."

"You don't have to, Don. Would you make a copy of your notes for me?"

"Sure. Break a leg tonight," he said.

"Thanks. I'll see you later." She gave him a last smile and headed down the street toward her apartment. Don shook his head disbelievingly and crossed to his street. _'Guess it just goes to show you,' _he thought, _'that anyone can surprise you.'_

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Don shut the door behind the last member of the study group with a sigh of content; they'd been able to review the entire week's notes in forensic accounting and pathology in only an hour and a half. He headed back into the kitchen to wrap up the last pieces of cold pizza and throw away the empty boxes.

After grabbing a glass of water from the sink, he headed into the living room and flopped on the couch to flip through the television channels. Finding nothing on, he glanced over toward the wall clock that was ticking softly in the corner. It was only 7:30, and he remembered that Terry's performance started in only half an hour. He had no idea why he was so curious about it, and she certainly hadn't asked him to take the time to come, but he figured that it couldn't hurt to go.

Finally heaving himself off the sofa, Don changed into a dress shirt and slacks – his ratty t-shirt probably wasn't suitable attire for a night at the theater. Grabbing his keys from the counter, he walked out to the parking lot but stopped when he saw the flower stand across the street. He stood uncertainly for a moment fumbling with his keys, but then he dashed to the stand where he again stood in front of the dozens of buckets of flowers, having no idea what to do. He finally decided on a bunch of daisies wrapped in tissue paper and went back to his car, laying them carefully on the passenger seat before driving off.

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When he arrived at the theater, Don decided that he slightly overdressed for the occasion. Children ran through the clusters of parents chatting casually about schools and neighborhoods, and elderly couples slowly made their way to the door. The theater seemed to truly be an informal community event, with people walking in right off the streets. A group of high-school kids were parking their bikes in the rusty bike rack and congregating in the parking lot while a young girl pulled enthusiastically at the hand of her smiling grandfather.

Don, uncertainly clutching the daisies, made his way to the doorway where a kindly, toothless old man smiled and ripped tickets. Giving him the five dollar admission price he returned the man's infectious smile and entered the lobby. A basket of programs was sitting on the counter against the far wall, so he took one and began to flip through it. He was looking for Terry's biography when he heard giggling to his right. Don looked up and saw a pair of teenage girls staring at him overtly and laughing in high-pitched squeals.

Suddenly feeling that he didn't want to be looked at like a piece of meat, he made his way to the auditorium entrance and handed his ticket to a pimply-faced volunteer college student who silently ushered him to his seat. The auditorium was small and rapidly filling, and there didn't seem to be a bad seat in the house. Picking up the program again, Don leafed through the community advertisements and notes from the director until he reached the cast and crew biography section. Skimming down the page, he found Terry's entry and began to read:

_TERRY LAKE will be playing the part of EPONINE this evening, is a junior at Quantico,_

_and is training to become an FBI agent specializing in profiling. This is her first_

_production at Barnson Playhouse, though she performed regularly while in high school. _

_She would like to give a shout-out to all of her fellow cast members, especially to EG for_

_sharing his special scarf with everyone. Enjoy tonight's production!_

Don smiled and began to read the rest of the biographies as the seats around him began to steadily fill. He remembered reading the book Les Misérables his first year of college, and the names of the characters slowly began to come flooding back to him. The lights suddenly began to dim and many of the audience members clapped enthusiastically as the orchestra in front of the stage began to play the first notes of the score.

From the moment that the curtains first parted onto the chain-gang with Jean Valjean and Javert, Don was glued to his seat. The power and emotion of the lyrics, the swelling crescendos of the score, and the incredible talent of the cast completely absorbed him. His fellow audience members were just as receptive, and he was sure that he could hear the woman next to him crying when Fantine died.

Don had yet to see Terry when the song "Look Down" began, and suddenly, there she was. She was with the young boy who played Gavroche as they teased the character Marius. She was dressed in ripped burlap rags and her strawberry blond hair was tied back with a scrap of black ribbon. Her cheeks and forearms were smudged with dirt, and she sported a very realistic looking cut on her left leg. Don was close enough to the stage and knew Terry well enough to recognize the excitement and energy in her movements.

It was her next appearance however, two songs later, which completely took him by surprise. By this point is was clear that her character was in love with Marius, who was in turn in love with Cosette. As the pair professed their affections, Terry began to sing in a beautifully haunted voice that was choked with emotion. Don felt his jaw drop in surprise – she was absolutely incredible. How was it possible that she had such talent and had managed to keep it hidden for so long?

As the scene progressed, he was unable to take his eyes from her, and he clapped loudly at the end of the song. Two songs later, she was alone on stage to sing her big solo, "On My Own." Don was watching her so closely that he barely heard the words that she was singing. Her voice was clear, innocent, and flawless and carried throughout the silent auditorium. He could see a tear streak down her cheek and her hands shake as she hugged herself for comfort. Don was also suddenly aware of how beautiful she was – the ragged costume did little to hide her slender, petite figure, and her face was undeniably gorgeous despite the haunted and miserable expression she wore.

As she held her last trembling note, Don and the rest of the audience cheered and clapped loudly, and he gave himself a quick mental shake. This was _Terry_, his fellow classmate. The one with whom he was the most competitive in class. The one who pinned him during every martial arts practice. The one whom he teased mercilessly whenever he got the chance. The one who had spent hours in the library quizzing him on interrogation protocol after he missed class from being sick. The one who had proven on a bet that she could match him in the amount of Chinese food eaten in one sitting. And the one who had made it quite clear she wasn't interested in a relationship at this point.

_'Where the heck did that come from?' _he thought, _'She's my friend, and…yeah, she's attractive and smart and funny…but she's just a friend! It's just not the right time for any of this. Okay, focus on the play. You're here to see the performance, so start paying attention!'_

Don forced himself to keep his mind on the musical, keeping his eyes peeled for Terry's next scenes. The rest of the night passed in a blur since his mind kept inadvertently traveling back to his thoughts of Terry. The play was over much too quickly in his opinion and he snapped back to attention as the houselights came up for curtain call. As the cast came onto the stage in groups and pairs, the audience whooped and hollered. Terry came out and bowed to accept her applause, smiling broadly with her fellow cast members. Don stood with the others to give the cast a standing ovation, and the curtain finally closed on the sounds of elated screams and yells as the cast congratulated each other on a successful opening night.

As the auditorium began to empty, Don stood uncertainly with his program and flowers. An usher finally asked him if he needed help, and he said that he was waiting for one of the cast members. The usher showed him into the lobby where he could wait by the cast exit. Don sat in one of the nearby chairs and watched the staff clean up trash in the lobby and shut down the stage lighting. As the staff began to leave, Don wondered if maybe he had somehow missed her when the cast door opened and people began to filter out to the exits, talking idly about that night's performance. Terry was one of the last ones to enter the lobby, and Don stood from his seat.

She looked in his direction and did a double-take, a huge smile breaking out on her face as she made her way over to him. "Don! You actually came?"

"Of course I did," he said, returning her smile, "Do you think that I'd miss the chance to see the future Director of the FBI perform on stage? Oh, um…" he awkwardly handed her the flowers. "These are for you."

"Don, you didn't have to do that." She gave him another grin that made his heart inexplicably thump faster against his ribs.

"Hey, it's not every day that you steal the show like that. Do you have anyone to walk you home?" he asked.

"Are you volunteering?"

"I'd love to." He held the door open for her and they walked out into the cool night air. He glanced over at her and noticed that her hair was still stiff with hairspray and her stage makeup was still in place. She was carrying the bundle of flowers in the crook of her arm and wearing a contented smile. When she looked up at him, he quickly averted his gaze, embarrassed to have been caught staring at her.

"Terry, you were really amazing tonight," he said awkwardly.

"Thanks, Don," she answered.

"I had no idea that you could sing like that. Why don't you do it more often?" he asked.

"It's just a hobby. I used to sing a lot in high school." Terry laughed. "I was definitely one of the drama geeks who hung out on stage most of the time. I don't know what made me take it up again since I haven't acted in years, but I guess it was just a spontaneous decision."

"Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah…I really did. It was nice to do something different," she said honestly.

"Maybe you should think about changing your career path," Don joked. "You might be missing your calling."

She chuckled. "Wouldn't that be something? My parents would be even more pissed off about my career path than they are already."

They walked in comfortable silence for several more blocks as they made their way to Terry's apartment building. When he could see the corner of her street, Don found himself getting inexplicably nervous, and he kept throwing quick glances at her from the corner of his eye.

As they crossed the street, he suddenly blurted out, "Hey, I know that you have performances for the next two weeks, but…are you doing anything the Friday after that?"

Her head snapped up, and Don felt that he would have given anything to take his words back. "Why?" she asked.

He hurried to explain, stumbling miserably over his words as he did so. "Well…I mean…finals are finishing up that week, and I just thought that…we could go out to dinner and celebrate."

She stopped walking so that she could face him fully, and Don felt his heart rate increase yet again. "You mean the whole study group?"

His face burning (_'Why am I so embarrassed?'_). "Well, I kind of meant just us…you and me."

Terry stood there, staring at him as though trying to read the meaning between his words. Just as he felt that maybe he should run away and never speak to her again, she said, "I…I can't. I usually do my laundry on Friday nights."

Again, Don felt as though words were tumbling out of his mouth of their own volition when he answered, "Well, that'll work. Could you use some company? Someone to carry your laundry baskets?"

A small smile quirked at the corner of her mouth. "That all depends. Do you know how to sort lights and coloreds?"

"Hey, thanks to my mother, I am completely domestic. I know how to cook a full turkey dinner, mop a floor, and do laundry with the best of them." When she laughed he felt some of his confidence return. "So, is it a date?"

Terry hesitated for a moment, clutching her flowers anxiously. "Yeah…it sounds like it is."

They continued walking to her apartment, Don feeling strangely jubilant and excited, and Terry…well, he didn't know what she was thinking, but he noticed she had a mysterious smile and a high flush on her cheeks. Upon reaching her building, she undid the door and turned to face him to say goodnight.

"Thanks for coming tonight, Don. It really means a lot."

"The pleasure was all mine," he said. "You were great. So, laundry in two weeks at 7:00? I'll bring the pizza if you bring the detergent."

"Absolutely. I'll see you tomorrow." She gave him a final grin and headed inside. Don knew as he walked down the street to his own building that he was wearing a sappy, faintly goofy expression…but he didn't really care. Laundry had never sounded so exciting before.

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I really, really hope that you guys liked it. And if you haven't read, seen, or listened to Les Misérables yet, you really should. The book is absolutely _incredible_, the musical makes you cry like nothing else, and the soundtrack is oh so great! As always, please write me a few words of review, and I hope that some of you guys will try your hand at some Don/Terry stuff. It's really, really fun to write (you control the characters, bwahaha!) and it's just as fun for us to read! Thanks so much and God bless!


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